Keynote Speakers

20th Annual Conference

Keynote Speakers

Carol J. Adams

Carol J. Adams is a feminist-vegan advocate, activist, and independent scholar whose written work explores the cultural construction of intersectional oppressions. Through an analysis of attitudes, literary works, philosophical positions, and contemporary images culled from various media and advertising sources, Adams’s books The Sexual Politics of Meat: A Feminist-Vegetarian Critical Theory (1990), Neither Man Nor Beast: Feminism and the Defense of Animals (1994), and The Pornography of Meat (2003) theorize interconnected ways in which women and animals are subjugated and sexualized. She is also the co-editor of Animals and Women (Duke 1995) and The Feminist Care Tradition in Animal Ethics (Columbia 2007) (both with Josephine Donovan), and has written extensively on veganism. Her books Living Among Meat Eaters and How to Eat Like A Vegetarian even if You Don’t Want to Become One (co-authored with Patti Breitman) offer ways to embody feminist-vegan theory. She has been a keynote speaker at academic conferences in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Sweden, and Australia. She has also been an activist against domestic violence, racism, and homelessness, and for reproductive justice and fair housing practices.

In 1989, just as she was completing The Sexual Politics of Meat, she received a Durfee Award from the Durfee Foundation for “enhancing the dignity of others through the use of law or legal institutions,” in specific for using “creative legal means to ensure construction of over 90 new housing units in a troubled, racially mixed area, securing a judicial opinion defining discrimination against battered women in federally subsidized housing, and establishing the first cooperatively owned mobile home park in New York State.”

Carol has published close to 100 articles in journals, books, and magazines on the issues of veganism, animal advocacy, domestic violence and sexual abuse. In addition, Carol has presented the dynamic and always-changing Sexual Politics of Meat Slide Show from Oregon to Maine, from experimental schools to universities with slaughterhouses on their campus, from Yale Law School to CalTech, from Trinity College in Dublin to Toronto’s annual vegetarian food fair.

Congressman Earl Blumenauer

A lifelong resident of Portland, Oregon, Congressman Earl Blumenauer (OR-3) has devoted his entire career to public service.

While still a student at Lewis & Clark College, he spearheaded the effort to lower the voting age both in Oregon and at the national level. He was elected to the Oregon Legislature in 1972, where he served three terms and Chaired the House Education and Revenue Committee in 1977-78. In 1978, he was elected to the Multnomah County Commission, where he served for eight years before being elected to the Portland City Council in 1986. There, his 10-year tenure as the Commissioner of Public Works demonstrated his leadership on the innovative accomplishments in transportation, planning, environmental programs and public participation that have helped Portland earn an international reputation as one of America’s most livable cities.

Elected to the US House of Representatives in 1996, Mr. Blumenauer has created a unique role as Congress’ chief spokesperson for Livable Communities: places where people are safe, healthy and economically secure. From 1996 to 2007, he served on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, where he was a strong advocate for federal policies that address transportation alternatives, provide housing choices, support sustainable economies and improve the environment. He was a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee from 2001 to 2007 and vice-chair of the the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming from 2007 to 2010. He is currently a member of the Ways and Means Committee and the Budget Committee. Congressman Blumenauer’s academic training includes undergraduate and law degrees from Lewis and Clark College in Portland.

Nancy Perry

Nancy Perry is currently senior vice president of ASPCA Government Relations, where she oversees the ASPCA’s legislative efforts and public policy at the local, state and federal government levels. Under Nancy’s leadership, the ASPCA Government Relations team works closely with lawmakers and citizen advocates to secure the strongest possible protections for animals through the passage of humane legislation and regulations. She is currently establishing a Washington, D.C., office for the ASPCA and hiring several new staff positions.

Prior to joining the ASPCA, Nancy served as vice president of government affairs for the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) where she oversaw HSUS’s state and federal legislative efforts, including ballot measure campaigns and nationwide grassroots activities. During her 16-year tenure at the HSUS, Nancy led successful efforts to secure federal legislation preventing the distribution of notorious animal crush videos, prohibiting the practice of shark finning, requiring truthful labeling of fur garments, banning the import of puppies from foreign puppy mills, prohibiting the interstate commerce of birds for fighting, requiring disaster planning for pets, banning tigers and other big cats as pets, securing greater protections for pet food safety, and defunding government-supported horse slaughter.

Nancy has testified before U.S. House and Senate committees and worked directly with legislators on pending federal and state legislation on puppy mills, horse protection, and other high priority bills. Nancy has also been a key architect and leader on more than 20 successful state ballot measures to protect animals since 1995.

Nancy graduated from Wellesley College with a B.A. in Political Science and Philosophy. She received her M.A. in Communications from California State University, Northridge and a J.D. with an Environmental Law Certificate from Lewis & Clark Law School, where she co-founded Lewis & Clark’s Student Animal Legal Defense Fund. She was a two-time national champion in the Pace Environmental Moot Court competition while in law school. She also co-founded the Animal Law Journal and organized the country’s first animal law conference ”“ an event now in its 20th year. Nancy is an advisory board member of the Animal Law Review, teaches animal law at both George Washington University and Lewis & Clark Law Schools, and has published several articles on animal law.

Nancy lives in the Washington, D.C. area, with her husband, her two rescued dogs, Ellie and Summer, her three former feral cats, Emma, June and Sylvester, and Sam, a rescued bird.

Panelists

Lewis Bollard

Lewis Bollard is an animal advocate and third year student at Yale Law School. He recently authored a paper entitled, “Ag-Gag: The Unconstitutionality of Laws Restricting Undercover Investigations on Farms.” The paper won the Public Justice Hogan/Smoger Access to Justice Essay Contest and was published in the October 2012 issue of the Environmental Law Reporter. Lewis has spent two summers with the Humane Society of the United States, most recently in Animal Protection Litigation. He was president of the Yale chapter of the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund and a moot court semifinalist at the National Animal Law Competition. He is originally from Wellington, New Zealand.

Robert Cheeke

Robert grew up on a farm in Corvallis, OR where he adopted a vegan lifestyle in 1995 at age 15. Today he is a best-selling author of the book Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness - The Complete Guide to Building Your Body on a Plant-Based Diet.

As a two-time natural bodybuilding champion, Robert has been considered one of VegNews Magazine’s Most Influential Vegan Athletes. He tours all over North America, regularly giving talks about his story transforming from a skinny farm kid to champion vegan bodybuilder.

Currently Robert works for Vega, a line of vegan whole-food products, as a representative of the pro-vegan film Forks Over Knives and also works full-time running Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness, which includes writing books, touring and maintaining the popular website.

Robert recently moved to Austin, TX and continues to spread the vegan way of life leading by example as an accomplished vegan athlete.

Emily Davidsohn

Emily Davidsohn joined the Investigations Department at the Oregon Humane Society in 2010 as an attorney and Investigations Case Coordinator. She manages the department’s criminal animal abuse and neglect cases from citation through prosecution and works as the department’s liaison with district attorneys throughout the state. In the 2011 legislative session, Emily drafted and presented testimony in support of bills banning shark finning and including animals in domestic violence protection orders. She also coordinates and supervises the department’s legal internship program.

Emily received her Juris Doctor and Master of Studies in Environmental Law from Vermont Law School in South Royalton, Vermont, where she served as the co-chair for the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund and the Administrative and Development Editor for the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law.

As a law clerk for the Animal Legal Defense Fund, Emily researched a wide variety of substantive and procedural issues in support of animal cruelty prosecutions pending across the United States.

Alexis C. Fox

Alexis C. Fox is the Massachusetts State Director for the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). She works to help animals through legislation, corporate campaigns, citizen advocacy, coalition building and other projects with both local and national scope.

At Lewis & Clark Law School, Fox specialized in animal protection law and was a visiting fellow at Georgetown University Law Center. She is a member of the Cornelius Honors Society and her writing has appeared in Animal Law. Before joining HSUS as a State Director, Fox worked in animal protection litigation.

With more than a decade of experience in advocacy Fox has worked with numerous animal protection organizations including the Animal Legal Defense Fund and the National Center for Animal Law. Fox is also an Adjunct Professor at Emerson College where she teaches a course on Leadership in their Communications Department.

Pamela Frasch

Pamela Frasch is the assistant dean of the animal law program and executive director of the Center for Animal Law Studies (CALS) at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon. CALS was established in collaboration with the Animal Legal Defense Fund and is an academic program with a focus on research, scholarship, and experiential education in animal law. In her dual role, Dean Frasch supports and works to develop all the various components of the program including teaching, writing, speaking, competitions, the Animal Law Review, the conference and the Student ALDF group (SALDF).

Previously, Dean Frasch was general counsel for the Animal Legal Defense Fund, and in 1996, she created the ALDF Criminal Justice Program which has since assisted law enforcement and animal advocates in investigating and prosecuting thousands of animal abuse and neglect cases nationwide.

In addition to her duties with CALS, Dean Frasch is co-editor of the first casebook in the field, Animal Law, Cases and Materials now in its fourth edition (Carolina Academic Press, 2010), and co-author of Animal Law in a Nutshell (Thomson West, 2010). She has taught survey and advanced courses in animal law at Lewis & Clark Law School since 1998 and co-authored (with Professor Kathy Hessler and Megan Senatori) the amicus brief submitted in the U.S. v. Stevens case on behalf of 45 law professors who teach animal law.

Dean Frasch is a frequent speaker on issues of animal law and is the principal author of Oregon’s first felony anti-cruelty law. She has authored or co-authored many articles and book chapters in the field, and has been recognized by the Humane Society of the United States and the Oregon Humane Society for her contributions.

Andrew Freeman

Andrew Freeman is a Deputy District Attorney for the Washington County DA’s office in Hillsboro, Oregon. A graduate of Lewis and Clark Law School, Andrew was a member of the Animal Law Moot Court Team (coached by Kathy Hessler and Pam Frasch!) and competed in the National Semi-Finals in 2009.

At the DA’s office Andrew prosecutes animal abuse, animal neglect, wildlife crimes, and other environmental crimes. He coordinates efforts with the Oregon Humane Society, Washington County Animal Services and law enforcement agencies across the state to combat crimes against animals and increase awareness about the legal ramifications of animal abuse.

Since becoming a Deputy DA in 2009, Andrew has had the opportunity to achieve significant results in animal-related cases, nailing down convictions against a state-wide poaching group, a family of large-scale domestic animal hoarders and three co-defendants tried for neglecting horses. In an area of criminal law that is still taking shape in the State of Oregon, Andrew recognizes the unique challenges of prosecuting animal cases and hopes to continue to achieve results.

Bruce Friedrich

Bruce Friedrich leads Farm Sanctuary’s legislation and litigation efforts and oversees the Compassionate Communities Campaign, which is focused on building vegan community across the country. Before joining Farm Sanctuary, Bruce worked for two years as a public school teacher in inner city Baltimore (where he was “teacher of the year” for his school), for six years at a homeless shelter and soup kitchen in Washington, D.C., and for 15 years at PETA, where he was vice president for policy and government affairs. He co-authored the Animal Activist’s Handbook, a book about which Princeton bioethicist Peter Singer raves: “Rarely have so few pages contained so much intelligence and good advice. Get it, read it, and act on it. Now.”

Dr. Michael Greger

Dr. Michael Greger is director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture in the farm animal welfare division.

A physician specializing in clinical nutrition, Greger focuses his work on the human health implications of intensive animal agriculture, including the routine use of non-therapeutic antibiotics and growth hormones in animals raised for food, and the public health threats of industrial factory farms. He also works on food safety issues, such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease), and plays a role in The HSUS’s efforts to analyze and shape public policy concerning agriculture and nutrition.

Greger has been an invited lecturer at universities, medical schools and conferences worldwide. He is the author of “Heart Failure: Diary of a Third-Year Medical Student” (2000), “Carbophobia: The Scary Truth About America’s Low-Carb Craze” (2005), and “Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own Hatching” (2006).

In 2009 he produced a video with tips for avoiding swine flu. In 2011 he launched NutritionFacts.org to profile the latest news in nutrition research.

Greger is a graduate of the Cornell University School of Agriculture and the Tufts University School of Medicine.

Dr. Maya Gupta

Dr. Maya Gupta earned her BA from Columbia University and her MS and PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Georgia. Her research focused on applying information about the connections between animal cruelty and domestic violence to enhance typologies of violence perpetration. She is currently Executive Director of Ahimsa House, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping the human and animal victims of domestic violence across Georgia reach safety together. Dr. Gupta also currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, as Chair of the Section on Human-Animal Interaction in the American Psychological Association, as Vice Chair of the Cobb County Domestic Violence Task Force, on the Steering Committee of the National Link Coalition, and on the Animal Cruelty Advisory Council of the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys.

Scott Heiser

Scott has been a prosecutor for seventeen years, serving the last eight years as the elected district attorney in Benton County, Oregon. While Scott has prosecuted all types of criminal conduct including capital murder, he has always found animal cruelty cases among the most compelling cases he has handled. His passion for holding animal abusers accountable for their crimes recently lead Scott to join the ALDF, serving as the senior staff attorney in the ALDF’s Criminal Justice Program. Scott received his JD from Northwestern School of Law of Lewis and Clark College and his undergraduate degree in economics from Oregon State University. In 2006, Scott served as the president of the Oregon District Attorneys Association and as member of the Governor’s Drug and Violent Crime Advisory Committee. Scott is a regular instructor at trainings hosted by the Oregon Department of Justice and he has served on the Board of Directors of his local humane society animal shelter, helping to fund the construction of a new shelter.

Ralph Henry

Ralph Henry is the Deputy Director of Animal Protection Litigation at the Humane Society of the United States, where he oversees the organization’s wildlife litigation docket. His caseload includes work to protect threatened and endangered species, marine mammals, animals trapped and farmed for their fur, and captive exotic wildlife. Ralph is an adjunct professor at George Mason University School of Law where he teaches a course on animal law and policy. Ralph graduated with distinction from the Georgetown University Law Center, where he was managing editor of the Georgetown International Environmental Law Review and president of a chapter of the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund. Prior to practicing law, Ralph was trained as a biologist and studied the physiological bases of animal behavior.

Kathy Hessler

Kathy Hessler is a clinical professor of law and director of the only animal law clinic in the country. She is the first faculty member hired to teach animal law full time in a law school. She received her LL.M. from Georgetown University Law Center and graduated with a J.D. from the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary.

Prior to teaching at Lewis & Clark, Professor Hessler taught in clinical programs at Case Western Reserve University Law School, Cornell Law School, the University of Dayton Law School, the Capital University School of Law, and Georgetown University Law Center.

She has been an animal activist and vegan since the late 1980’s. She has been an advisor to the journal Animal Law since 1998, and is currently a SALDF faculty advisor. She coaches the animal moot court teams, and has been teaching Animal Law directly since 2001 and as a part of nonviolence courses beginning in 1989. She was a board member with ALDF and helped found the Animal Law Committee of the Cuyahoga County Bar. She was the chair and a founder of the Animal Law Section of the American Association of Law Schools. She co-authored (with Pamela Frasch and Megan Senatori) the amicus brief submitted in the U.S. v. Stevens case, on behalf of 45 law professors who teach animal law. She co-authored Animal Law in a Nutshell (with Pamela Frasch, Sarah Kutil and Sonia Waisman) and has written numerous other law review and other articles and she is co-authoring two new books on animal law.

Professor Hessler lectures widely on animal law and animal law education issues in the US and beyond.

Jessica Johnson

Jessica Johnson is the ASPCA’s grassroots advocacy manager, working to mobilize constituents and key contacts in the field to galvanize support for federal and state legislative and regulatory priorities. She received her B.A. in Political Science and Philosophy from the University of Minnesota-Duluth and her J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School, graduating with a certificate in environmental and natural resources law with an animal law emphasis. She served as managing editor and form & style editor of the Animal Law journal, co-director of the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund, and aided in planning the Animal Law Conference. She was the recipient of the 2011 Lewis & Clark Animal Law Leadership Award.

Jeffrey Jones

Jeffrey Jones joined the Lewis & Clark Law School faculty in Fall 2007. Prior to law school, Jeff was an assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Massachusetts-Boston, specializing in the philosophy of law. He was also a postdoctoral scholar at Boston University’s Institute on Race and Social Division and a scholar-in-residence at Boston University’s School of Law. After law school, Jeff worked at Davis Wright Tremaine and then for Barran Liebman LLP, where he remains Of Counsel in employment law matters. Jeff’s research interests are in jurisprudence, and employment law. His teaching areas include Legal Elements, Property, Property Theory, Employment Law, Disability Law and a range of jurisprudence courses.

Mark Jordan

Mark, a long time animal advocate and activist, graduated from Lewis & Clark Law School in 2011 with certificates in Animal Law and Criminal Law & Procedure. While at Lewis & Clark, Mark was a Submissions Editor for Animal Law Review, Outreach Chair for SALDF, and a Coordinator for NLG legal observers. Mark is currently an attorney at Nonprofit Support Services in Eugene, Oregon. At this small firm, only a small portion of his work is for nonprofits working directly for animal causes. However, Mark is finding extra-office ways to advocate for animals with the law, as well as continuing his animal advocacy in various other ways. Even while working for his non-animal-focused clients, he is becoming familiar and more proficient in areas of law that are useful for animal advocacy. Mark has a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from the University of Virginia and a Master’s degree in Environmental Studies from San Jose State University. Mark has also spent two years in the Peace Corps and has worked for Haitian refugees in refugee camps in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Jeff Kerr

Whether the shots come from an entire industry or a single corporation, PETA is constantly under attack from animal-exploiting adversaries that are well funded and that will resort to any means necessary to stop our steady progress.

Jeff stands as PETA’s “shield” against these attacks, ensuring that our vital work is not compromised and that our activities are in compliance with the law. As the PETA Foundation’s Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Jeff is involved in all corporate matters, including contracts and PETA’s cruelty investigations. As General Counsel, he is involved in litigation oversight, involving each of the PETA affiliates around the world.

Jeff has participated in several high-profile legal battles, including one before the U.S. Supreme Court, to protect PETA’s ability to expose and end animal abuse and suffering, and a recent case in which the jury ruled in PETA’s favor after a lawsuit claiming malicious use of process was filed by Howard Baker, a cruel veterinarian who was caught on tape punching and choking cats and dogs.

Jeff has represented PETA before Congress in both written and oral testimony. And his letters and comments on matters related to PETA’s animal protection efforts, especially on the animal rights struggle in the historical context, an area of his interest, have appeared numerous times in print and television media across the country.

“I can’t wait to get to work every day. I’m so incredibly grateful for the chance to use the law to fight for animals’ right to be free from exploitation and cruelty, but I’m also mindful of the awesome responsibility I carry to make sure I do the best job possible to protect PETA’s ability to fight for animal rights.”

Kendra Kimbirauskas

Kendra Kimbirauskas grew up on a dairy farm in the Midwest. After earning her degrees from Michigan State University she went on to work as a community organizer for the Sierra Club helping communities that were threatened by factory farms. Kimbirauskas’ community organizing work took her to rural communities in Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota before she moved to Oregon in 2003. Kimbirauskas took a brief hiatus from anti factory farm organizing and spent time working on political campaigns for the Oregon League of Conservation Voters. In 2005 Kimbirauskas co-founded the group, Friends of Family Farmers an Oregon-based non-profit that organized to fight Threemile Canyon Farms, a 55,000 head dairy outside of Boardman, Oregon. In 2006, she began consulting work for the Grace Factory Farming Project in addition to starting a small farm in Colton Oregon. In 2012, Kimbirauskas became CEO of the Socially Responsible Agricultural Project, a group that works with rural communities that are threatened by factory farms. Kimbirauskas and her husband Ivan currently farm 46 acres, where they raise heritage breeds of pigs, chickens and turkey.

Matthew Liebman

Matthew Liebman is a senior attorney at the Animal Legal Defense Fund, where he works in the Litigation Program. Matthew has managed cases including ALDF v. Conyers, which resulted in the rescue of more than 100 dogs from a North Carolina hoarder; ALDF v. Keating, in which seven horses were saved from starvation; and Penrod v. Robertson County, in which ALDF helped to establish a new shelter for homeless dogs and cats in Kentucky. Before coming to ALDF, Matthew clerked for the Honorable Warren J. Ferguson of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Matthew graduated with distinction from Stanford Law School in 2006, where he co-founded a chapter of the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund and helped lead a campaign against animal experimentation. Matthew’s writing has appeared in the Journal of Animal Law, the Stanford Environmental Law Journal, the Animal Legal & Historical Web Center, and the Encyclopedia of American Reform Movements. With Bruce Wagman, Matthew co-authored A Worldview of Animal Law, which examines how the legal systems of different countries govern our interactions with animals.

Tom Linney

Tom Linney works with ALDF’s Animal Law Program. Among other duties, Tom is responsible for developing and marketing ALDF’s Animal Law Pro Bono Program to interested firms and attorneys and for helping students transition from law student to legal professional. He also provides support to professionals interested in teaching animal law and collaborates with ALDF’s Litigation and Criminal Justice Program to assign appropriate pro bono counsel to ALDF projects and cases.

Tom is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law where he helped establish the school’s first Student Animal Legal Defense Fund chapter. He coordinated several projects as SALDF President and successfully petitioned the school to add an animal law class to its curriculum. While in law school, Tom worked for Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, the Texas Legislative Council, and an animal law attorney. Tom also became the first student to receive a Baron & Budd Fellowship from UT Law to pursue animal protection work. He served as legislative intern for the Texas Humane Legislation Network researching and drafting legislation to promote the humane treatment of animals. Tom has also worked for a state senator, a county judge and an in-house counsel for a federal agency.

Paul Littlefair

Paul Littlefair is a graduate in Modern Chinese Studies (Leeds, 1984). He lived and worked in China and Japan for seven years before joining the international department of the RSPCA in 1998. From 2006 to 2010 he held the post of Senior Manager, International Programmes, overseeing strategies for Europe, East Asia and Southern Africa where RSPCA International is active. In September 2010 he was promoted to Head of External Affairs, continuing to be responsible for international programmes and additionally for the RSPCA’s government relations and UK/EU campaigns.

Internationally the RSPCA is active in around 20 countries in Europe, Asia and Africa, working with local partners - animal protection/conservation/development NGOs, government departments, academic institutions etc - delivering aid, training and consultancy to promote the development and enforcement of animal protection and wildlife law, animal welfare education, animal rescue and rehoming, humane stray control, laboratory animal welfare, and improvements in the rearing, transport and slaughter of farm animals.

Paul has continued to be responsible for promoting animal welfare in East Asia, predominantly mainland China, Taiwan and Korea. In 2008 in Beijing the RSPCA and China’s Institute of Law co-hosted a groundbreaking ”˜International Forum on Animal Protection Law in China’, for the first time bringing together Western and Chinese animal law academics to discuss the potential development of anti-cruelty legislation. This led to the setting up of a committee of experienced law professors tasked with drafting China’s first general animal protection law. A preliminary draft emerged in September 2009 and after a period of consultation a more refined ”˜Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Law’ (PCA) was released in February 2010. The draft law was further improved in late 2010 and presented for discussion at the National People’s Congress in March 2011. Support for the draft among legislators and the wider public continues to grow and is expected to lead to legislation over the coming years.

Kim McCoy

Kim McCoy is a passionate animal and environmental advocate with a B.S. in Business Administration and a J.D. specializing in Animal and Environmental Law. During law school, she served as Editor in Chief of the internationally acclaimed Animal Law Review and interned with the National Center for Animal Law and the International Environmental Law Project. Kim is currently Executive Director of the One World One Ocean Foundation and the proud mother of a healthy, thriving toddler who has been vegan since conception. Having previously worked for Sea Shepherd Conservation Society in a variety of roles, including International Executive Director, Director of Campaigns, and Director of Legal Affairs, Kim remains deeply committed to the defense of animals worldwide and believes firmly in the merits of aggressive, nonviolent, direct action as an effective and necessary means to accomplish this goal.

Russ Mead

Russ Mead is General Counsel of Animal Law Coalition, and is a partner in the Seattle based law firm of Allen & Mead. In the past he has served as General Counsel for two of the nations leading non-profit animal sanctuaries. He was on the ground overseeing thousands of volunteers after Hurricane Katrina hit, and has put into motion some of the largest animal rescues in the country. His work included rescues from animal hoarders, puppy mills and dog fighting cases, including the Michael Vick case. Russ holds a BS in Accounting from Arizona State University, an MBA from Lindenwood College, a JD from St. Louis University School of Law, and earned a CPA from Arizona. He taught business ethics in the MBA program at Fontbonne University, and has taught Animal Law as a guest lecturer at Cornell University School of Law. Russ recently presented continuing legal education programs on Animal Law Ethics for the New York City Bar as well as the Nassau County New York Bar. Russ is a frequent speaker at animal law conferences, and law schools with animal law sections.

Martha Noble

Martha is a lawyer and policy specialist that joined the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition in 1998. Martha also co-chairs the Clean Water Network’s Feedlot Work Group and is vice-chair of the Agricultural Management Committee of the American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources. She received a law degree from the University of California at Berkeley and before coming to the Coalition was a research professor and staff attorney with National Center for Agricultural Law at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.

Dr. Nicole Pallotta

Nicole is the student liaison for ALDF’s Animal Law Program. In this capacity, she works with law students who are interested in advancing ALDF’s mission, including members of over 170 Student Animal Legal Defense Fund (SALDF) chapters. Nicole helps law students form and maintain chapters and assists them with projects like getting animal law courses added to the curriculum at their schools. She also coordinates ALDF’s animal law clerkship, scholarship, and SALDF grant programs. Prior to joining ALDF in 2005, Nicole earned an M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology at the University of Georgia, where she taught the school’s first undergraduate course in animals and society. Her dissertation, “Becoming an Animal Rights Activist: An Exploration of Culture, Socialization, and Identity Transformation,” analyzed the process of developing a vegan, activist identity. Her writing has appeared in Society and Animals, Sociological Perspectives, and Animal Wellness Magazine. Nicole also blogs at Alec’s Story (www.alec-story.com).

Nancy Perry

Nancy Perry is currently senior vice president of ASPCA Government Relations, where she oversees the ASPCA’s legislative efforts and public policy at the local, state and federal government levels. Under Nancy’s leadership, the ASPCA Government Relations team works closely with lawmakers and citizen advocates to secure the strongest possible protections for animals through the passage of humane legislation and regulations. She is currently establishing a Washington, D.C., office for the ASPCA and hiring several new staff positions.

Prior to joining the ASPCA, Nancy served as vice president of government affairs for the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) where she oversaw HSUS’s state and federal legislative efforts, including ballot measure campaigns and nationwide grassroots activities. During her 16-year tenure at the HSUS, Nancy led successful efforts to secure federal legislation preventing the distribution of notorious animal crush videos, prohibiting the practice of shark finning, requiring truthful labeling of fur garments, banning the import of puppies from foreign puppy mills, prohibiting the interstate commerce of birds for fighting, requiring disaster planning for pets, banning tigers and other big cats as pets, securing greater protections for pet food safety, and defunding government-supported horse slaughter.

Nancy has testified before U.S. House and Senate committees and worked directly with legislators on pending federal and state legislation on puppy mills, horse protection, and other high priority bills. Nancy has also been a key architect and leader on more than 20 successful state ballot measures to protect animals since 1995.

Nancy graduated from Wellesley College with a B.A. in Political Science and Philosophy. She received her M.A. in Communications from California State University, Northridge and a J.D. with an Environmental Law Certificate from Lewis & Clark Law School, where she co-founded Lewis & Clark’s Student Animal Legal Defense Fund. She was a two-time national champion in the Pace Environmental Moot Court competition while in law school. She also co-founded the Animal Law Journal and organized the country’s first animal law conference ”“ an event that recently celebrated its 19th anniversary. Nancy is an advisory board member of the Animal Law Review, teaches animal law at both George Washington University and Lewis & Clark Law Schools, and has published several articles on animal law.

Nancy lives in the Washington, D.C. area, with her husband, her two rescued dogs, Ellie and Summer, her three former feral cats, Emma, June and Sylvester, and Sam, a rescued bird.

Will Potter

Will Potter is an award-winning independent journalist based in Washington, D.C., who focuses on “eco-terrorism,” the animal rights and environmental movements, and civil liberties post-9/11.

His work has appeared in publications including the Chicago Tribune, the Huffington Post, and the Vermont Law Review, and he has testified before the U.S. Congress about his reporting.

Will frequently lectures about efforts to roll back civil liberties in the name of fighting terrorism. Speaking engagements have included the New York City Bar Association, Yale Law School, and the House of Democracy and Human Rights in Berlin. Media appearances have included the Los Angeles Times,Mother Jones, and Democracy Now.

Lauren Regan

Lauren is the founder and executive director of the Civil Liberties Defense Center (CLDC), where she serves as our staff attorney as well. Ms. Regan operates a public interest law firm, The Justice Law Group, specializing in constitutional law, civil rights, and criminal defense. She is a founding board member and past president of the Cascadia Wildlands. She also serves as a Lane County Teen Court judge, Oregon State Bar Leadership Fellow, National Lawyers Guild, Eugene co-chair, and volunteers hundreds of hours a year to various progressive causes.